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Proposed Law Would Ban High School Dropouts From Getting Driver's License

BOSTON (CBS) - A bill that would ban high school dropouts from getting their driver's license has been proposed on Beacon Hill.

In order to get a license, the teen would need a GED, a diploma, or proof that they're still in school.

Some lawmakers believe the law would decrease the state's dropout rate, but parents are mixed about the proposal.

"There's many reasons why students drop out--I mean, economy, parents without jobs and they may need to work, and I don't think that's fair," said one mother picking up a student at Haverhill High school.  "It doesn't mean they're a bad kid because they drop out."

"I think having a license is a privilege, and you have to have certain levels of responsibility to have one, to get one, and dropping out of school shows no responsibility," said another mother.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports.

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Some parents believe kids should stay in school and graduate, but that facing strict requirements to get a license may not be fair to them and their families.

"A driver's license, that's a privilege, but I don't think they should associate that with school," one Haverhill mom said.

"If a kid is just dropping out because he wants to be a derelict, for lack of a better word, no license for you," another said.  "But there's so many things that go on in people's families these days, some kids need to work."

Another proposed bill would raise the dropout age in Massachusetts from 16 to 18. New Hampshire passed a similar law a couple years ago.

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